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WEST LONG BRANCH, N.J. (March 23, 2012) – The Saint Francis U. lacrosse team battled back from a three-goal halftime deficit but a game-ending five goal surge by Monmouth dealt the Red Flash an, 11-6, setback to open Northeast Conference play on Friday.

After trailing, 5-2, at the intermission, SFU's Samantha Barton registered back-to-back goals before a converted Hawks' free position shot pushed the differential back to two scores.

Kara Ledgerwood (Canandaigua, N.Y./Canandaigua) and Danielle Conwell (Roxbury, N.J./Roxbury) evened things up on consecutive goals to tie things up with less than 17 minutes to play.  The Hawks, however, would answer with five goals in the next 4:10 to clinch the win.

Monmouth's Alex Marino paced her team with a game-best three goals, while Barton and Ledgerwood led the SFU offense with two goals apiece.  Conwell's goal padded her league-leading total of 24, which already ranks 10th all-time in a season in program history.

After being outshot 20-to-7 in the first period, Saint Francis nearly matched the Hawks shot-for-shot in the second by firing 12 to Monmouth's 13.

The Flash (1-7; 0-1 NEC) will look to snap its six-game skid with a visit to Mount St. Mary's on Sunday.  The Mountaineers improved to 2-7 (1-0 NEC) on the season with a, 12-8, victory over Robert Morris on Friday.